My front pads are gone (yes - after only 4 months!) and TW Whites wanted 90-odd quid to replace them. With the OC discount though, I can buy the Mazda pads for 45quid inc VAT and fit them myself, which thanks to the ever helpful advice from Chris Coleman will take no time at all... When I get round to actually doing it! You could probably do the same though.

Rear pads should be slightly cheaper than front ones, but should be a very similar method of fitment so should be easy to do. I'd imagine you could get Mazda pads for 35-40quid and do the work yourself (about an hours worth or so). (11/99)

Just for the record - I too have the Moss Metalmaster (EBC?) brake pads (Moss uprated pads) fitted to the front brakes of my 1.8 Mk1. I have not had any problems with them in any weather, hot or cold. They provide the same brake feel as the standard pads or maybe feel just a little harder, but do not suffer from fade. The first big test for my pads was a track day at Castle Coombe - 15 minutes of flat out driving and no sensation of fade at all. The only slight niggle I have with them is that the tend to squeal a little on light brake application, but I don't see this as a big problem.

I tried a couple of other brake pads before settling for the Moss uprated pads -
Halfords own brand: I found these to be terrible quality, they would fade quickly even with normal driving, even my wife thought they were rubbish and she drives quite slowly. To Halfords credit, they were happy to refund my money when I complained about the quality - especially when I demonstrated the effect to their parts manager.
Moss Standard pads: Although better than the Halfords efforts, they still suffered from fade on spirited road driving. When I told Moss of my fade problems, they allowed me to buy some uprated pads for the same cost as the standard pads. (2/00)

I ordered some uprated front brake pads from Moss. I thought I was going to get Axiss Metal Master pads. (Silly me - I should have checked.) What I've got are PBR Metal Master. Does anyone know anything about these? Have PBR taken over Axiss or something like that?

The box says 'made in Australia'. I understand the Axiss pads are made in Australia too. I found a PBR website (www.pbr.com.au) but there's nothing there (just address, phone no and email address). I couldn't find an Axiss site anywhere on the web. Tried a few different search engines. Find it strange that I can't track down anything regarding Axiss brake pads - is Axiss just a trading name PBR use in the US?

Anyway, they seem to be the right size and shape and everything though, so I think they are correct for the car, and if I don't hear any horror stories about them I'll fit them and see how they are...

I have a 90 eunos and it's front brakes squeal. Ocasionally under hard braking, when coming to a standstill, they tend to bind, grate and make odd noises. I had it serviced when I bought it back in December 99 and mentioned this to the garage, they checked them out and said they were ok (although I did need new pads AND calipers at the back though - ouch!)

I have taken the wheels off this morning to check how much pad there was, and it is nowhere near it's 'service point' (using Enthusiasts manual) Has anyone any ideas what could be causing this and what remedy there is? (4/00)

Brake pad reviews for 1.8 Mk1

1. stock Mazda .. fine .. made by Sumitomo

2. PBC/Axiss Metalmaster .. Moss HP pads, .. made in New Zealand
Rears squealed a bit under light check braking coarse dust, a bit more noticeable under hard track use .. they got very grippy . but this was at the expense of road use as all the volatile bits evaporated and the pedal feel very long and unresponsive afterwards on the road .. and they then wore out quickly (circa 10k miles for fronts only) Fade resistance compared to stock seemed up by 20-25%

3. EBC green stuff (fronts only) a little less bite than 1&2 .. needs more brake pressure to warm up dust is very fine .. and really just as bad as 2/ for all the claims on the box to be non dusting on the track they did not really fade .. under heavy use they did not warm up and become more grappy which was disconcerting but they kept going (but Jurby was not really hard on pads..) fade resistance about same as Metalmasters

and to close .. on IOM I got squeals with light check braking from both the fronts and rears .. at different times .. OK at the moment .. (mind you the EBC left Aberdeen to be bedded in on the trip down South .. a bit of brake riding at times on the motorway to get things moving ..).

Stopping distances by someone else .. in US .. from 60 mph ..
stock = 184ft,
Moss brakes/discs etc = 182 ft ..
and Willwood Big Brakes = 160 ft .. which goes to prove they are worth it .... (7/00)

After killing one set of these pads in 'Green stuff' material on a couple of track days.. I got some more .. and thought better of it and rang the technical department...

DP21002 = front 1.8 brake pads in 'Green stuff' .. this is the Kevlar based pads and is good for standard cars and light wieght high power cars (e.g. Caterham 7 at 750kg or less).. used in Ginetta G15 race series etc. It has a good consistant feel that never faded with me .. but never really bit (unlike the Metalmasters .. but then they turned into bricks for road use afterwards) .. it should have bitten apparently when it got hot enough (about 450C) ..fade quoted at 550C by which time it crumbles to nothing.. which is obviously where I got it .. 40miles track use quoted.. and I did 80 on the last track day... cost 47 GBP from local motor factor

DP31002 = front 1.8 brake pads in 'Red stuff' .. this is semi-metallic (like the PBR/Axiss Metalmaster) material .. not road recommended .. for use in over 200hp cars only or heavy 1.5 ton road cars .. this is the recommendation for my application .. so I'm getting these sent up .. a bit surprised they have even made some for the '5' .. who else is going to be mad enough to use them? Reputed not to go brick like after track days .. quoted fade temperature of 750C .. and reasonable day to day usage too (Metalmasters needed a warm up first pedal push..) ..need 3-400 miles of running in during which time they are a bit 'long' in the pedal... cost 59.95 GBP from local motor factor.

DP?1002 = front 1.8 brake pads in "Yellow stuff" ... not made yet .. 900C fade .. and wear out quickly if not used hard enough to get up to temperature. Unlikely to be needed by anyone except hard core track only racers.. (7/00)

Did a complete brake pad replacement job on my daughter's boyfriend's car this weekend - thought I'd share a few things in the light of recent discussion on brakes.

It's a UK spec mid '91 H reg.

I fitted exactly the same part number Mintex pads (72.50 for complete set from MX5 Parts by post - thanks, Val) as those I fitted to my own Roadster a few weeks back, front and rear. These fit all 1.6's, at least pre-94, Roadsters and UK.

You are likely to need to bale some fluid out of the Master Cylinder before you start. Replacing both sets of worn pads takes it from being less than about half full to virtually overflowing. Check it's full to Max afterwards!

Front brakes:
I am aware that there are three different Mazda part numbers for 1.6 front pads, but I can't get to the bottom of what the differences are.

Neither the 91 UK car nor my own have electrical pad wear sensors. Both were originally fitted with the brass "squealers", though I left them off mine - they were well worn and I check the pads frequently. I think that some later cars may have electrical contacts - but no-one responded a few weeks ago when I asked if anyone had definitely come across these?

The 91 has a pair of V-springs pushing the pads apart - my car (and according to my workshop manual, early UK cars) do not have these. The Mintex pads have holes for them, though. They do not have provision for electrical sensors.

Rear brakes:
The 91 had the usual seized sliders - not the "blind" slider (that was clean and bright and well lubricated) but the slider part of the lower lock bolt - the one you undo to rotate the caliper upwards. However, this is easily removed and cleaned up with sandpaper to a bright finish and lubricated with synthetic grease.

The result of one or other slider being seized is a ring of rust on the outer face of the disc around the inner part of the pad swept area. This is caused by the caliper tilting slightly and therefore not applying even pressure across the whole pad width. Hopefully this will wear off with use, now that the calipers are sliding freely. If both sliders are seized, the disc will probably be slightly (or very!) rusty all over. I have noticed that this rust is extremely common on many 5's. The problem is that the rear brakes do little work anyway - mainly they balance the car under braking. So gentle drivers just don't use the rear brakes enough to move the calipers to keep the sliders free and the discs clean.

My own rear discs are shining across the whole pad width. You can easily check yours - just look at the swept area through the wheels (harder if you have steel wheels). If you have rust on the swept area, free those sliders! (Don't be confused by rust on the unswept area towards the hub)

Check that the rubber seals on the sliders are properly located on their grooves - a little rubber lubricant helps. Replace the seals if there are any tears or deterioration.

The pistons are retracted with the adjuster - you don't need (and shouldn't use) any form of piston pusher. (You do need one for the front - I use a G-clamp)

You need a 4mm Allen key to adjust the rear pads. It helps if you secure the disc with a couple of wheel nuts whilst you do the adjustment - otherwise it flops about and confuses the issue. Tighten the adjuster up until the wheel is locked, then back off 1/3 turn. The piston moves a substantial amount with small movement of the adjuster. Operate the foot brake hard a few times before you adjust and back off the handbrake adjuster located by the lever - thanks, useful tip, whoever posted that last week.

After adjusting the caliper adjusters, I adjusted the lever adjuster - I had no problem getting to 5 notches without the brakes binding and with the handbrake providing some stopping power. Whether that would be to NI standards I know not!

Finally - the 91 had some hardware missing - a rear shim and an M spring. Does anyone know where to get fitting kits without having to buy Mazda pads? My own car needs new front shims (the tags are nearly falling off through metal fatigue) and I suppose, brass squealers. Halfords sell fitting kits for some cars, but not 5's. Finish Line Performance advertise Mazda Brake Hardware - not sure if it's front only or front and rear.

Can any parts suppliers who've read this far source these - you need front shims, squealers, V springs and guide plates and rear shims, M springs and guide plates?. (12/00)

1. Never seen or heard of electric warnings from reliable sources .. I think this was just imagination as most cars do have this.

2. Those bits/springs etc are the rare bits .. I have always meant to try and talk them out of the rubbish bin from the dealer from them fitting new bits.

I had to rivet the rear 'squealer' onto my red EBC pads.. it had the bump but no spring. (12/00)

A postscript to my post re brakes. I decided it's time I replaced the boots on my rear caliper sliders. I've posted here before that these are available in a kit. Well, they are for most Mazda models. But not MX-5's. At least, not by themselves. You have to buy a complete caliper seal kit - Part No. A15 019F2E, described as GAYE2646ZB Boot Kit RR Caliper, Cost 48.64 (Outrageous!)(This is for a 1.6 - don't know if 1.8 is same/similar)

It includes all the rubber in and on the brake caliper - seals, boots, even bleed screw cap, and some red grease. (Not hoses, obviously). Still, contrary to what the dealer insisted, both when I ordered it and when I picked it up, the one kit does both rear calipers. What? - me know better than a Mazda dealer? But I do know that Mazda, and everyone else responsible, insists that all brake work be duplicated on both sides of the car - ie whatever you do on one side, do on the other, even if you think it doesn't need it. Mazda generally sell all brake parts paired up. (12/00)

Fitted the EBC stuff I bought months ago the other weekend. Thought I'd share how easy it is for those contemplating their first look at brakes on the car.

Remove the wheel and get the car as high up as possible so that you can access the inside of the caliper and see what you are doing. The front pads are removed by undoing the bolt (12 or 14mm - can never remember) on the inside of the caliper at the bottom. There are actually three bolts on the back of the caliper and the other two hold the caliper in place on the hub. You can see the shape of the caliper and work out which one you need by getting your head inside the wheel arch with the wheel off with a torch or inspection light. When you undo the bolt it will feel smooth to pull out as it goes through a rubber boot and is greased up. Once this is removed the caliper swings upwards and you should use a bit of wire to hold it up out of the way. The edge of the pads will be visible and should have some V springs attached to the edge which need removing - remember which way around they fit - the springs just pull off as they are attached at the edges to the pad where the pad has small holes (obvious when you're doing it). The pads then will come out of the caliper towars you and awway from you respectively - not upwards away from the hub. You should have 2 squealers left in the caliper at the top - they look like metal clips shaped to take the ends of the pad. If they fall out as the pads come out put them back in place.

The other two bolts I mentioned keep the caliper in place and once they are out the whole caliper lifts off the hub allowing the disk to be removed. Swap it over for the new disk, and re-mount the caliper with the same 2 bolts. You then need to fit your new pads in the place where the old ones came out - push them in and refit the V springs into the holes in the new pads. If your old pads were down low the piston will need retracting to allow the top of the caliper to clear the new disks and pads. Undo the cap of the brake fluid resevoir under the bonnet and make a mental note of the fluid level. As you push the piston in the level will rise and you don't want it to overflow. To push the piston in I placed an old pad over the piston to stop it's edge being damaged then just used brute force and a bit of leverage to push with my wheel brace against the caliper. It took 3 attempts moving it a bit at a time and checking fluid levels. Once the pistons back far enough the caliper top will now fit over the new pads and take the bolt that secures it. The pads will need holding together as you do this as the V springs try to push them apart. Also the rubber boot where the first bolt goes through needs to be correctly alligned to take the bolt back in - again it's obvious and easy when it's in front of you. Once it's bolted up open your manual and torque the three bolts to the right level (I used the "can't get them any tighter" rule but you should use a torque wrench) which I don't know (help someone!!) and then replace the cap on the fluid resevoir. If you go over the max limit you need to take some fluid out. You can take it out of the resevoir but you really should take it from the caliper end. My fluid was only 2 weeks old so I took it out of the resevoir.

I'm still on the 600 mile run in period but already I can tell the brakes have more bit. Hopefully that will come with less fade on the track at bank holiday Donny , but I've already posted in the past about thinking the EBC pads were brilliant so I won't go on about them. (9/01)

Don't you just hate it when some one tells you an easier way after you've done it :-)

If you undo the top bolt (17mm), the calliper will swing down, allowing you to swap the pads without having to find some way to hold the calliper out of the way. (9/01)